Card and Gift Blog: October 2012

Ghosts, Ghouls & Spooky Gifts ...

After yesterday's text heavy blog post I thought it would be nice to mix things up with a primarily picture-based gallery of cards and gifts. Today as you may expect there have been Halloween themes everywhere. So the blog is bunking off, joining in and looking at some ghoulish, ghostly gifts. It seems like a good way to get us in the mood for the spook-tastic evening ahead. It's been a while since I put together any new treasury lists on Etsy, so I've used today as a good excuse to take a look at some fabulous independent Designer-Makers. The lists are 'Let's Get Spooky' and 'Ghostly Gifts' - take a look ...

Hello!

Way back in August I wrote a blog post introducing my new card and gift website - Piccadilly Lane - click here if you want to refresh your memory. Well, it's now almost November (not sure how that happened) and the site is built, and in a clean, sleek 'show home' state. Most importantly it is ready for sneak previews!

Today's gift inspiration is the perfect thing for creative kids ... a selection of fun 'colour-me-in' products from Draw Me A Lion. The collection has a selection of appealing and imaginative products; everything from postcards, to mask books and limited edition posters.

With a touch of Autumn inspiration, today's greetings card pick is from Symetria, a small design studio and publishing house based in London. Specialising in contemporary greetings cards and stationery, S ymetria was founded in January 2011 by Ben Price.

Design studio The Green Gables has recently unveiled The Eco Stationery Club ... a unique subscription gift for stationery addicts. Created by The Green Gables founder Gabrielle Treanor, the gift boxes provide a monthly dose of delightful stationery items delivered straight to your doorstep.

Today we've got a sneak peek at a fabulous new range of children's age cards that will be launched to the trade at the Top Drawer exhibition in January. Fresh from London-based Designer Roisin Cafferty, 'Crafty Numbers' is a range of 10 new greetings card designs; adding to Roisin's growing collection of bright, contemporary cards.

To kick start a brand new week of cards and gifts we're looking at a great new collection to hit the world of greetings cards. Cuddly Cards from Niion are a soft, cuddly toy token to send a special message to your friends and loved ones.

Today's blog post is a look at some art prints from We Laugh Indoors. The bright and contemporary designs make wonderful gifts, and would be a delightful way to decorate any home. Behind the prints is greetings card designer, Claire Noble.

Every now and then I spend an evening looking through Etsy in search of new Designer-Makers and interesting card and gift products to share on the blog. On one such recent wander through Etsy's online marketplace I discovered a fabulous selection of handmade, embroidered accessories and greetings cards from Elizabeth Kelley.

Today's gift inspiration is an eclectic mix of products designed for kids all over the world. Created by Illustrator and Graphic Designer Kimberly Schwede the 'Bebe Bilingual' range is a series of products that teaches children words and phrases in a variety of languages. Each of the products has sweet, bright graphics and punchy typography to illustrate the chosen words in different languages. Current products in the 'Bebe Bilingual' range include: placemats, flash cards, wall art and lunch boxes; themes include jungle animals, sea creatures, and international greetings. I love the idea of giving kids beautifully designed gifts that will not only be appealing on a visual level but will also stimulate their interest in other languages and cultures.

Featured gifts: Jungle Animals Canvas, $59.95; Jungle Animals Flash Cards, $18.99; Kids Ocean Friends Placemat, $16.99; Thank You Canvas Wall Art, $59.95 and Kids International Greetings Lunchbox, $29. To find out more about the Bebe Bilingual collection please visit Kimberly Schwede's website, or purchase directly from her online shop.

Introducing: Illustrated Cards and Gifts from Charlotte Axworthy ...

Charlotte Axworthy is a professional Illustrator based in Brighton, England. Her quirky designs are used for editorials, advertising, & packaging to name just a few, but for today's blog post I wanted to share a few designs from Charlotte's own line of paper goods and stationery. The items I have chosen are greetings cards and children's art prints; a few of my favourite designs that I think show the warmth, humour and charm in Charlotte's illustrations. There's great variety in the collection - trendy pugs and retro flamingos decorate blank greetings cards suitable for any occasion; while personalised prints offer a unique gift idea for a special person to treasure. Take a look ...

Featured Greetings Cards and Art Prints: Pug on Skateboard, Retro Flamingo and Christening Greetings Cards, £2.00 each; ABC's Children's Art Print (signed & framed), £16.00; Personalised Children's Illustrated Name Print, £29.99 (designs for boys and girls featured). To see more from Charlotte's collection please visit her website or to purchase go straight to the online shop.

In the Post: Cards & Stationery from Bonnie Blackbird ...

I recently received a nice little parcel of cards and stationery from Bonnie Blackbird; in reality it was quite a weighty parcel as the cards and envelopes inside were some of the thickest, textured boards you can get! Today's post is a few examples of the designs I received from the Bonnie Blackbird collection.

Founded in 2010 by design duo, and university friends Penny and Sara, Bonnie Blackbird are specialists in creating professional, personalised stationery for events; anything from weddings to children's parties are catered for with a selection of bright, high quality stationery. Whether you choose to commission a design or choose stationery from the Bonnie Blackbird online shop, designs can be personalised to suit your taste and the tone of your event, giving you truly unique stationery to make your event extra special.

As with all bespoke stationery services it's a little tricky to give definitive prices to the products - too many factors and variables to consider! To simplify matters Bonnie Blackbird have created three packages to suit a variety of budgets. You can also order designs from the Bonnie Blackbird online shop; personalised cards such as the 'Little Monkey Nickname Baby Card' retail at £3.95 and personalised invitations such as the 'Pirate Party Invite' retail at £1.80.

To find out more about Bonnie Blackbird and their stationery collection please visit their website.

Striking & Elegant Jewellery Gifts from Fran Barker Design ...

Today's gift inspiration is from Bournemouth-based Jewellery Designer Fran Barker. With a growing reputation for stunning craftsmanship and striking jewellery, Fran Baker Design produces a variety of bespoke jewellery and designer collections using high quality silver, gold and gemstones. The quality of the workmanship ensures each design will be a treasured gift, and could even be an heirloom passed between generations. The designs shown today are taken from two of Fran's collections - Peacock and Envy - bold, investment pieces that are intended to have real sentimental value for the wearer. The aesthetically beautiful designs combine elegant metalworking with a variety of gemstones to suit any taste. Each Fran Barker necklace or ring is presented in a jewellery tin and matched with a gift bag, ready to be given as a gift.

Featured Jewellery gifts: First images are from the Peacock Collection; Amethyst Ring, £577; Lab Citrine Necklace, £423; Lab Citrine Ring, £321 and Lab Ametrine Ring, £404. From the Sinners Collection Envy Ring with Green Amethyst and Tourmaline, £449 and Envy Pendant with Green Amethyst and Tourmaline, £449. To find out more about Fran Barker Design please visit her website. Items featured today, and lots more designs are available to purchase from stockists across the UK, and online at Fran's Etsy shop.

Modern-Retro Cards & Gifts from Pressbound ...

Today's featured greetings cards and stationery designs have been created by paper fanatic's Pressbound. Based in an old mill building in Beverly, Massachusetts Pressbound combine traditional and modern printing techniques to create their collection of modern-retro paper goods. Inspired by folk-art including: Polish paper-cuts, Russian nesting dolls, and vintage embroidery there is vibrant colours, and bold geometric details to be found throughout the collection. The stationery gifts and greetings cards on today's post are a few of my favourite designs; I love the combination of retro colours and the textures created from the materials and prints ...

Featured greetings cards and gifts: Letterpress Journal with Folk Art Motif, $8; Letterpress Greetings Cards - Love & Congratulations designs, $5 each; and Letterpress Folk Art Journal Set, $18. For more information or to purchase any of the items shown today please visit the Pressbound website.

Accessible Art: Gifts from Sugarloop ...

Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Sugarloop is a contemporary brand of accessible art gifts designed by Bernadette Spikes. With a passion for print, the Sugarloop collection contains a variety of bold, colourful giclee and gocco Art Prints that make unique, original gifts. Bernadette is a great believer in accessible art, and has developed her series of affordable prints to bring bright colours and artistic creativity into any home. I love the patterns, and small details that bring these nature-inspired prints to life; each print starts life as hand-drawn line art, which is digitally coloured before being printed on high quality, textured papers. Take a closer look ...

Featured Art Gifts: Lace Tree and Cats Print, Birds and Blooms Art Print, Crochet Tree Print, Owl and Pussycat Print, $20; Scandanavian Dala Horse Print, and Jungle Animals Art Print; all featured prints are priced at $20 (prices in USD) and are available in a variety of colourways. To see more or purchase your own print visit the Sugarloop website.

Organise Your Life! New Stationery Gifts from K Two Products ...

A few weeks ago I got a lovely parcel from organisers extraordinaire, K TWO Products. Inside were some fantastic new additions to their gift collection; samples for me to examine, prod and test before deciding whether to share them here on the blog. I've featured K TWO Products in the past, and I've both bought and received their products as gifts; I'm always impressed by the quality and design of every product developed. K TWO Products has a heap of brilliant stationery gifts for every hobby, occasion or daily task you can think of, and each one is practical as well as pretty. Let's take a closer look ...

The 2013 Busy Life Diary is a must-have gift as we approach a new year. The perfect way to keep organised, the diary has double week-to-view pages allowing you to balance two schedules side by side; "home and work", "parents and kids", "partner and you", the design is adaptable to your needs. The Busy Life Diary is also practical with 4 storage pockets, a section for notes and a pen loop - all you need to juggle a busy life!

The K TWO Products Sticky Labels are already a bestseller, offering a massive 180+ stickers for under £5. But it's not just value for money that recommends these sticker packs. The collection is truly multipurpose with decorative designs, variety in shapes and sizes, messages for any occasion and blank stickers for your own words. Seal envelopes, decorate gifts, organise your home or label a gift - the options are endless.

Last but not least is the Greeting Card Organiser. A replacement for the previous Birthday Card Book, the new design has been thoroughly tested and re-designed to improve every aspect. The new new design is fantastic and certainly the best of its kind that I've ever seen. There is a perpetual calendar to record special dates, concertina pockets to store all your cards, and labels to mark the pockets however you want - by month, by occasions - the choice is yours! With one on these I think it would be very hard to miss a birthday or special occasion ever again.

Featured gifts: 2013 Busy Life Diary, £9.99; Sticky Labels, £4.25 and Greeting Card Organiser, £12.99. All of the items and many more wonderful organisers and stationery gifts are available to purchase direct from the K TWO Products website.

The lovely folks at K TWO Products have offered Card & Gift Blog readers an exclusive discount. Enter discount code KTWO20 at the checkout and you'll get a brilliant 20% off everything.* The discount is valid till 12th October 2012, so get shopping now!

*Please note discount excludes seconds sale, kids gift section and organiser gift sets.

Quality Letterpress Stationery from Idea Chic Companies ...

Idea Chic Companies based in Denver, Colorado is a creative company founded by David and Julie Sandusky. With a passion to create beautiful products that people enjoy giving to friends and loved ones, they have developed a wide range of greetings cards, stationery and gift products. For today's blog post I have chosen a few of my favourite items, which I feel demonstrate the quality of the designs, and the craftsmanship behind every item. All of the Idea Chic products are created in-house using flat style printing, with an original 1930's Chandler and Price Letterpress, and Gocco Screen Printer. I love the small details of the products; the choice of materials, and use of bold patterned papers to line the inside of envelopes show how much care and attention goes into every design. Take a look ...

Featured cards and stationery gifts: I love You Heart Puzzle Greeting Card, $8; Peony Letterpress Stationery (5 pack), $15; Bakers Twine Peony Letterpress Notebook, $12; Love is in the Air Bike Card (4 pack), $10; Vintage Style Thank You Postcard (10 pack, other pack sizes are available), $10; XOXO Mini Heart Note, $8; and Zebra Letterpress Stationery (5 pack), $15.

To find out more about Idea Chic Companies please visit their website. All of the items shown today can also be seen and purchased from the Idea Chic Etsy shop.